Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by to say hello the other day, and I have to say I barely recognized the man who walked through the door.

Arnold has never been short on confidence, and on that count nothing has changed. And the jeans, boots, black leather blazer, rings bigger than the ones Sammy Davis Jr. wore - the standard Schwarzenegger attire endures.

It wasn't until halfway through our coffee that I realized the change. That orange Hollywood hair that he sported for so many years was gone.

At 66, Arnold has gone natural. Oddly enough, the new look actually makes him look younger and more relaxed.

After his cameo in "The Expendables" and his lead role return in "The Last Stand," his most recent movie, "Escape Plan" with Sylvester Stallone, apparently did very well.

I asked him if he had any regrets about the seven years of movie-making that he gave up as governor.

He said, "Yeah, I'm reminded of that every day of my life."

But if he could go back, he said, he'd do it again.

It's interesting to note that for all of Arnold's showmanship and "girlie men" bluster, he helped engineer two of the most significant changes in California politics in years: the open primary and the handing of redistricting to a citizens commission.

These days, Schwarzenegger appears to be more into tech than politics. Do I do Twitter? he eagerly asked me. Do I do e-mail?

"No, no, no," I said. "Let me remind you of something, governor. Do you know what that "E" in e-mail stands for?

"No."

"Evidence."

So state Sen. Leland Yee and two other state senators helped persuade legislative leaders to shelve a measure to reinstate affirmative action in public university admissions.

Trouble is, they'd already voted for it in the Senate. They didn't utter a peep until they started hearing from their Asian American constituents, who figured their kids might not get into University of California campuses if the state gives preference to underrepresented black and Latino students.

That means Yee and his colleagues either didn't read the measure before they voted for it, or they didn't read their own base back home. Either way, it's an embarrassment.

After weeks of back pain that had me in and out of the hospital, my doctor told me, "I've read all of your imaging reports and I think I've found your problem."

He pulls out his cell phone and shows me an image of my back. I'm not happy about my medical records being on a cell phone, but hey, this is the tech age.

"See this little white dot? It's a bone chip. It's floating around and every time it hits a nerve, you feel like you got shot.

"I can get it out."

I went in at 4 p.m. Monday and I left at 7:30, without a walker.

I realized that I have not been in a store in 26 days. I have not suffered any withdrawals, and believe it or not I think I have everything I need.

I celebrated my 80th birthday party Thursday at a hidden gem of a museum, Pier 24. It's got to be the most exclusive, elegant venue in this city.

In the middle of my thank-you speech, what appeared to be a large cake was wheeled out by a guy dressed as a chef. The cake turned out to be a melted version of 80 candles concocted by Wilkes Bashford and Stanlee Gatti. They had "chef" Bill Cosby deliver it, along with his usual repartee.

And then, Lawrence Beamen, the "America's Got Talent" star, stood up and said he'd be singing a song that sums me up: "Old Man River." He had the place rockin'.

Nicola Miner and Robert Mailer Anderson arrived with 80 bottles of Champagne. Dick Bright showed up uninvited with his musicians. And the ultimate embarrassment? Gary Bauer and Steven Kay sent me one of those breathy Marilyn Monroe look-alikes.

With the backdrop of the floor-to-ceiling windows, I saw a fireboat with lights blazing heading for the Willie Brown Bridge. What I wasn't expecting was all those hoses spewing water 100 feet into the air, attempting to reach the upper deck to wash me!

Waterbar concocted 80 Shades of Brown, a new drink with Louis XIII cognac with a touch of Remy Martin. Umbria offered its Mayor's Special - half eggplant parmesan and half lasagna - and Allegro Romano's penne pasta with spicy marinara became the "Willie Brown Special."

Suddenly, you can roll over me, consume me or drink me. All in honor of the 80 years.